For the artists among us...

[lifelikecarcass]

I just want to get an idea of who's doing what here as far as the more technical aspects go. Such as what software people are using for what. I've read some older posts and it seems that alot of you guys like Vegas, some like Premiere. And what about FX? Not alot of talk around here about FX. Which makes sense since it's one of the more difficult aspects of content creation. Many people try to avoid it. It doesn't have to be difficult though. I saw a couple people mention Effects Lab. I've been doing digital art for awhile now, and have accumulated alot of knowledge(working knowledge AND purely technical). I've used many industry standard apps, and played with others that I haven't actually created anything with. I'm an active member of a couple of the big DCC communities on the web. I also rat hole educational resources, such as tutorials in both print style and media like tutorial DVD's. And I'm very enthusiastic about sharing knowledge. I spend alot of time discussing workflows and pipelines, small scale and large productions. I'm constantly reading trade publications and magazines. Such as Computer Graphics World, Post magazine, Adobe Photoshop User, Digital Cinematography magazine. I'm just enthralled with this sh*t. I love working with images. My favorite thing in the world is 3D modeling and image compositing, do a little digital matte painting. What I'm trying to do here is to spark some intense discussion about content creation, get to know where everybody's at on this. I've replied to a few threads and tried to get some discussion going, but that seems to be very slow going. So I'm just trying another route now. Anyone want to know where to go for learning materials for your favorite app? Anyone want to discuss what you love about your app of choice? Or discuss an app you're thinking about buying? I got off on the wrong foot with MZ, but that's not how I want things to go. I'm not looking to start arguments about any of this. I'm not trying to act like a know-it-all or anything. This is just what I love to do, so I'm enthusiastic about it and have alot to say regarding it. At times I can come off as a little brash, but once we get past that I have alot to offer. This is the film makers section, it should be booming with discussion on all levels of film making. For some reason though, it seems to be stifled to some degree. So, anyone??

[lifelikecarcass]

Huh, film makers forum and nobody has anything to say about making films!? Go figure...

[lifelikecarcass]

Do I have dog breath or something?

[GingeUK]

Editing on CS3 but am looking to make the leap over to AVID and/or FCP in the not too distant future incase the freelance work starts drying up and need to find a more stable job. Hardly anywhere is looking for Premier editors sadly. As for camera, I am shooting on DV with XM2's and XL2's currently, but am looking to upgrade as soon as I get some money together. The Canon A1 is looking like my main port of call. Although the PD 170 is still going strong so might try and get one of them for corporate work.

[lifelikecarcass]

Ginge, good to hear from ya. Premiere was the 1st NLE I ever used. I'm not really an editor in the technical sense, but when I was in high school I always had a Hi-8 camera, and shot everything possible. Of course, doing linear editing is the worst! Even with an editing machine(which I never had). I did all my editing with an SVHS VCR, a HUGE SVHS camcorder, and a couple of Hi-8's. My dad had an Amiga computer with DPaint, which I used to create simple cycle animation and text to use as homemade bumpers for my homemade films. For transparency, you just selected a color and stenciled it, then output to tape(composite only) but you could actually make little sprite fires and explosions that could never look anything close to realistic. I don't know how old you are or if you remember the Amiga, let alone DPaint. But it was great at the time. Just simple little sh1t would amaze people. Anyway, it would be a great move on your part to transition to final cut or avid. Final Cut Studio is where dreams are made though. It's got Final Cut Pro, Soundtrack Pro, Livetype, DVD Studio, Compressor(for batch conversions and processing), Color(for color grading), Motion(motion graphics). All Apple apps, which means they all conform to industry standards. Apple apps are also very user friendly and easy to learn, and since they run on MacOS X, they're rock solid. If you've never worked with a Mac before, you have no idea what you're missing! Check it out for yourself::FCP Studio 2